Hurdle and target



Nov. 25, 1969 s. R. WISE HURDLE AND TARGET Filed May 24. 1967 STEPHEN RWlSE ATTORNEYS 3,480,273 HURDLE AND TARGET Stephen R. Wise, Melbourne, Fla. (2752 Choctaw, Eau Gallie, Fla. 32935) Filed May 24, 1967, Ser. No. 640,937 Int. Cl. A63b 63/00, 69/00 U.S. Cl. 272-59 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to hurdles and more particularly to a hurdle which may alternatively be employed at two heightsand which is constructed so as to minimize the danger of a hurdler injuring himself when impacting against the hurdle.

Prior art hurdles are not suited for utilization in teaching hurdling techniques to children. For one thing, the standard thirty-inch high low hurdle is too high for elementary and junior high school children. In addition, due to the wooden material generally employed, prior art hurdles are apt to cause a child to injure himself upon accidentally impacting against the hurdle.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the present invention a hurdle is provided which comprises a panel of cardboard-like material supported in a vertical plane by a pair of support blocks. The panel may be supported with either its length or width extending vertically to provide a hurdle of either of two corresponding heights. Typically, the two hurdle heights are the standard low hurdle height and a somewhat lower height Which is more suitable for novice hurdlers.

The support blocks each have a channel defined in a surface thereof, the blocks being disposed so that each channel receives the lowermost portion of a respective vertical panel edge. When a student impacts against the' panel, depending upon the point and force of impact, one of the following results will ensue: the hurdle may overturn; the hurdle may collapse with the panel becoming disassembled from the blocks; or the panel may remain intact but be moved by the force of impact. Any of these results of impact would minimize the danger of injury to the student.

A plurality of apertures are defined through the panel to minimize its wind resistance and thereby improve its stability. These apertures may be designed to serve as targets for balls or bean bags thrown by the students.

It is an object of this invention to provide a hurdle which reduces the possibility of a child injuring himself upon impact therewith.

It is another object of the invention to provide a hurdle which can be supported at a relatively low height for novice hurdlers and at a standard height for more experienced hurdlers and which substantially reduces the possibility of a child injuring himself upon impact with the hurdle.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a hurdle for use in teaching hurdling techniques to children, the component parts of the hurdle having separate recreational utility.

United States Patent 0 ice The above and still further objects, features and ad vantages of the present invent-ion will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of one specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a hurdle in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of one component of the hurdle of FIGURE 1 prior to assembly; and

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of a package containing a plurality of unassembled hurdle components.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring specifically to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated a hurdle generally designated by the numeral 10. Hurdle 10 comprises a rectangular cardboard panel 11 supported in a vertical plane by a pair of rectangular wooden support blocks 13 and 15. The blocks 13 and 15 each have a shallow channel 17 and 19 centrally defined in and extending entirely across a surface thereof. Channels 17 and 19 are slightly wider than the thickness of plate 11. The blocks 13 and 15 are disposed on opposite ends of panel 11 with channels 17 and 19 extending vertically and facing one another so that the lowermost portion of each of the two vertical edges of panel 11 are received in a respective channel. The undersurfaces of blocks 13 and 15 and the lower horizontal edge of panel 11 rest flush against the ground or other support surface.

The width of panel 11, illustrated in FIGURE 1 as extending vertically, is preferably twenty-four inches. The length of panel 11, illustrated in FIGURE 1 as extending horizontally is preferably thirty inches, the latter dimension being equal to the height of the standard low hurdle. The panel may be supported with either its length or width extending vertically, therefore permitting alternative utilization of hurdle 10 as either a standard low hurdle or a training hurdle of lower height.

Five triangular apertures 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 are defined through panel 11. These apertures serve primarily to improve the stability of the hurdle 10 by minimizing its wind resistance. In addition, the apertures may serve as targets for balls or bean bags thrown by students. The shape, number and location of the apertures are not critical for purposes of reducing the wind resistance of panel 10 and therefore may be designed specifically for their target aperture function. The five triangular-shaped apertures 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 illustrated in FIGURE 1 have proved effective in maintaining student interest in this additional form of recreation.

A waterproof plastic tape 31 is employed to bind and seal the outer edges of panel 11 and the peripheries of the apertures 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29. The tape 31 seals the various edges to protect them from wear and from water leakage which might otherwise cause the cardboard panel 11 to rot. In addition, if panel 11 comprises more than one layer, tape 31 serves to bind the layers together. As will subsequently be described in greater detail with reference to FIGURE 2, the preferred embodiment of panel 11 comprises a double layer of cardboard resulting from folding a single cardboard sheet in half. Since the upper horizontal edge of panel 11 corresponds to the fold line, this edge does not need to be bound or sealed by tape 31. It is to be understood however, that where a number of disconnected layers are employed for panel 11, tape 31 should be employed about the entire panel periphery.

In use, the hurdle 10 of this invention substantially minimizes the possibility of a child injuring himself when impacting against panel 11. For example, if a hurdler accidentally impacts the panel-near its top, the hurdle will overturn rather than present substantial resistance to the hurdlers momentum. If the hurdler impacts against the center or lower portions of panel 11, the hurdle will either disassemble (i.e., panel 11 becomes disengaged from channels 17 and 19 of the support blocks) or yield intact to the force of impact. Which of the latter two results occurs upon any given impact depends upon the force and direction of impact. In either case, however, the hurdle 10 presents sufiiciently small resistance to the hurdlers momentum as to substantially minimize the possibility of the hurdler injuring himself.

Wooden support blocks 13 and 15 may also be employed separate from hurdle 10 as starting blocks for use in student races. Proper starting techniques may thus be taught to the students with the aid of these blocks.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a cardboard sheet 33 from which panel 11 of FIGURE 1 is constructed. A pair of lines 35, 37 are scored or notched across the width of sheet 33 adjacent opposite sides of a center line AA of the sheet. For each of apertures 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 of FIG- URE 1, a pair of similarly numbered apertures are symmetrically disposed about centerline AA so that when sheet 33 is folded closed along lines 35 and 37, the aperture pairs are in precise alignment.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a carrying case 39 containing ten sets of individual hurdle components (panel 11, blocks 13 and 15). The ten panels 11 are packaged adjacent one another in an upright position and are surrounded by the support blocks. The case 39 is preferably made of cardboard and therefore is lightweight to permit easy handling and storage.

While a panel having dimensions of 24 x 30 inches has been described as preferable for purposes of this invention, other dimensions for panel 11 may be employed in accordance with the alternative hurdle heights desired. For example, the panel length may be made equal to the standard high hurdle height while the panel width may be made equal to the standard low hurdle height.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 has been constructed in accordance with the following specifications and found satisfactory for the purposes described: Sheet 33 and case 39 comprised polycoated 275 pound test corrugated cardboard; sheet 33 before folding was 48% x 30 inches; apertures 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 were equilateral triangles having five inch sides; support blocks 13 and 15 were made of hemlock and were 2 x 4 x 12 inches; channels 17 and 19 were for-med centrally in and across the width of the 4 x 12 surface of the blocks and Were A; inch wide and one inch deep; the carrying case 39 was 31 /8 x 7 /2 x 24 inches.

While I have described and illustrated one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be clear that variation of the details of construction which are specifically illustrated and described may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hurdle comprising:

a rectangular panel of cardboard-like material, said panel having a width along one edge which is less than the height of a standard low hurdle;

means for supporting said panel wtih said edge vertically disposed comprising a pair of wooden blocks, each block having a channel defined in one of its surfaces for receiving an edge of said panel;

at least one aperture defined in said panel for minimizing the wind resistance of said hurdle;

wherein said panel and said supporting means are sufficiently lightweight that said hurdle is moved When impacted by a hurdler; and

wherein said panel comprises a pair of adjacent corrugated cardboard sheets, the edges of said adjacent corrugated cardboard sheets and the periphery of said one aperture being sealed with plastic tape.

2. A hurdle comprising:

a rectangular panel of cardboard-like material, said panel having a width along one edge which is less than the height of a standard low hurdle;

means for supporting said panel with said edge vertically disposed comprising a pair of Wooden blocks, each block having a channel defined in one of its surfaces for receiving an edge of said panel;

at least one aperture defined in said panel for minimizing the wind resistance of said hurdle;

wherein said panel and said supporting means are sufiiciently lightweight that said hurdle is moved when impacted by a hurdler; and

wherein said panel has a length along a second edge equal to the standard low hurdle height, whereby said panel extends to the standard low hurdle height when supported by said blocks with said second edge vertically disposed.

3. The hurdle according to claim 2 wherein said panel has a plurality of spaced triangular-shaped apertures formed therein for minimizing wind resistance and for providing targets for-thrown objects.

4. The hurdle according to claim 3 wherein said panel comprises a sheet of cardboard folded about a centerline to provide two substantially identical adjacent panel layers.

5. The hurdle according to claim 4 wherein the edges of said panel and the peripheries of said apertures are sealed with plastic tape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 477,287 6/ 1892 Zimmering 273-l05 742,927 ll/ 1903 Stults 273-l05 2,504,818 4/1950 Findon 273 3,100,642 8/1963 Goldstein 273l05 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner RICHARD W. DIAZ, IR., Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 273-105 

